A shortage of jet fuel in the country due to forex shortages is costing the state-run SriLankan Airlines an extra 7 million US dollars a month, though the airline is operating most of its schedule, an official said. “Now we are running 90% of our flights even though there is no fuel in the country which is costing us about 7 million US dollars per month in extra and lost revenue,” Richard Nuttall, the Chief Commercial Officer of SriLanka Airlines told Economy Next at the sidelines of a media brief. “To carry the extra fuel, we can’t carry all the freight we like to into the country.” SriLankan Airlines was stopping at third countries like India to load up on fuel for long haul destinations. Carrying fuel for the return journey, a tactic known as tinkering, forces an airline to cut down freight. The hit from fuel came after the airline SriLankan reported a profit of 1.7 million US dollars in the March 2022 quarter for the first time since 2006, after cutting costs such as staff costs and overheads; renegotiating supplier contracts and increasing cargo revenue. Nuttall said few months ago they were not sure of even operating 30-40 percent of the flights due to lack of sufficient jet fuel in the country.<br/>
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Australia's Qantas Airways said Monday it would add six Airbus A321 converted freighters to its domestic fleet to replace five ageing Boeing 737s and expand capacity to meet a surge in demand from online shopping. The A321 freighters will be sourced from the open market and converted from carrying passengers to cargo subject to commercial negotiations, the airline said, adding the planes were expected to arrive between early 2024 and mid-2026. The freighters will join another three A321s already in the airline's domestic cargo fleet and expand carrying capacity given the A321s can carry 23 tonnes of cargo, nine tonnes more than the 737s. Qantas CE Alan Joyce said the airline's freight division, which reported record first-half earnings, was one of the group's stand out performers during the pandemic as Australians shifted to online shopping. "While some of that shift is temporary, demand remains well-above pre-pandemic levels even with the lifting of almost all COVID-related restrictions," he said. Singapore Technologies Engineering, a major converter of A321 passenger planes to freighters, said last week that conversion demand remained strong, with orders for the model booked through 2025. The shortage of passenger plane cargo-carrying capacity during the pandemic sent freight rates soaring, delayed retirements of older models like MD-11s and had lessors rushing to convert older unwanted passenger planes into carrying freight. <br/>
To be “Joyced” is a new term that has crept into the Australian vernacular to describe being severely inconvenienced at an airport by flight cancellations or luggage going astray. It is a reference to Alan Joyce, the long-serving chief executive of national carrier Qantas, who has become the conduit for criticism of an array of customer service problems at the “flying kangaroo”. While airports and airlines around the world made steep staff cuts during the pandemic and have struggled to cope with the return of international travel as a result, some are taking drastic measures in response. Qantas, for one, took the unusual step this week of asking senior managers to volunteer to fill 100 ground handler jobs for three months while it tries to recruit more people. It has also said it will lengthen the connection time for passengers changing between domestic and international flights by half an hour to 90 minutes, to act as a buffer for transiting luggage and delayed flights. Joyce has always had a high profile in a country that still feels a strong sense of ownership toward its national airline. But his recent troubles started at the baggage carousel. Qantas itself says it is mishandling — or losing — nine of every 1,000 pieces of luggage, roughly twice the normal rate. This is adding to flight delays because passengers are trying to cram more bags into the cabin instead. These problems, along with unusual levels of flight cancellations because of staff shortages and absences due to illness, mean that passenger frustration is running high, particularly after Joyce commented in April that travellers were “not match fit” and that there were long queues in airports because people were forgetting to prepare their hand luggage properly for security.Other statements have been much more emollient. Earlier this week he admitted: “While there are lots of good reasons why, the simple fact is our operational performance hasn’t been up to the standard our customers are used to, or that we expect of ourselves.” Story has more.<br/>